Morning Sermon

January 27, 2008

Understanding Satan

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Getting it right when it comes to understanding Satan's position and power can be a very difficult proposition. Many potential errors lurk at every turn. What power does he have? What is the nature of his authority? Is he free or is he bound? Is he alive and well on planet earth? Or is he dead?

When it comes to my sin, did the devil make me do it? Or is it entirely my fault? How much danger does he possess and what threat does he pose for my spiritual well being and growth in grace?

The questions go on and on, and the answers would vary between the extremes of a naive and spiritually deceived man or woman who chooses not believe in the personal existence of such an evil creature as the one we call the Devil, to the person who lives in constant fear of the Devil's ability to wreak havoc upon their lives. The temptation is that we either ignore him and think too lightly of him, or we emphasize him so greatly that the unique power and authority of Jesus himself is overlooked. Some professed Christians think that Satan's temptations don't really affect them, and others fear those temptations so much they start to think that they might not even be a Christian.

So what is the answer? I believe the right balance is presented to us this morning in our text from Revelation 12. There are two essential things to recognize, two things that might seem contradictory but must be held together. One, as I preached last week, the lamb wins! In fact, the Lamb has already won. Jesus has already won the victory.

v.9 "So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."

Let me remind you of just two of the verses I referred to last week as cross-references for this idea of Satan's defeat at the hands of Jesus.

John 12:31 "Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out."

And, Luke 10:18 And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you."

So Jesus is the one who sits at the right hand of his father in heaven, in authority. He has all the power over his enemies. And Satan is cast out, expelled, defeated, excommunicated. That's the first thing you have to know about Satan. But then also the second thing. Satan, though a defeated enemy, still wages war against the church. A cruel and vicious war in which he hopelessly but desperately seeks our destruction. That is,

I. THE STATUS OF SATAN. Let me review just briefly what we studied last week, because there, in the first 12 verses of this chapters, Satan is presented to us as,

A. A defeated and conquered enemy. v.7 "And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down."

It was a time of glory for the church, a time of rejoicing.

v.12 "Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them!"

Rejoice because Jesus is the king. His kingdom has come, and it is a kingdom encompassing all the nations of the world. The accuser, or in Hebrew, Satan, has been cast down. Defeated. His worked is described in,

Col. 3:15 "Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it."

And the devil knew it! The devil knew he was defeated. Going back to,

v.12 "Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time."

And, v.13a "Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth..."

He knows it. It's all over. He lost, lost all power and authority to rule the nations. So what does he do? He does what any wicked, evil, despicable tyrant will do when he is doomed. He causes as much trouble as he can on his way out!

v.13b "...he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child."

Remember that the woman represents the church, particularly the Old Covenant church, the church of the twelve tribes of Israel. And at the hands of a defeated and conquered Satan, still she endures a,

B. Furious and desperate persecution. Just look at the description of it. v.15

And just so you can be sure that you understand the motivation and the intention, v.17a "And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring."

He went to make war. The rest of her offspring no doubt is a reference to the fullness of the church as it was built upon the foundation of the New Testament apostles and prophets. In the immediate context, as I understand it, this refers to the events in and around Jerusalem prior to AD 70, a time of great persecution. So great a persecution, in fact, that Jesus says,

Mat. 24:21 "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 "And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened...34 "Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place."

So God, in his mercy, shortens those days. Indeed, just 3-1/2 years. A tribulation so great that it would never again be matched. All BECAUSE Satan has been defeated. You see, the desperation is what causes the fury, the desperation of an enemy with nothing to lose. "The dragon persecutes the Church precisely because Christ defeated him...All of his attacks on the Church are rooted in the fact that he has already been conquered." (Chilton) And that's what makes it all so chilling. For those who have nothing to lose, those who are the most desperate, are the most cruel and wicked. Their sinfulness is the most unrestrained.

In my experience as a prison chaplain in Mississippi, I had several occasions to visit inmates on death row. And there is a reason those cells are the most secure, and their contact with other inmates or prison staff is severely limited. They have nothing to lose! They are condemned, waiting to die. And while for a few that is a time of humbling and contrition, for many it is a time of hardening. Those who are the most desperate are the most prone to unrestrained evil.

Let me pause her for a moment in order to fully apply this to our own situation. This persecution, though at its absolute height just prior to the destruction of Jerusalem, is the very definition of our lives as Christian throughout this age. Jesus himself tells us,

John 15:18 "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 "If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 "Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you."

There is nothing ambiguous in that. Equally clear are the words of Paul's exhortation to the disciples in Antioch,

Acts 14:22 "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God."

That's hard for us to understand, because we so often live with the objective of eliminating or avoiding anything difficult. We often are tempted to consider tribulations as something contrary to God's blessings, something to be avoided at all costs, something even that might indicate God's displeasure. Some people even reach the point of doubting their salvation, because they are compelled to endure persecution. But the exact opposite is the truth.

According to Paul's personal encouragement to Timothy, 2 Tim. 3:12 "...all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution."

All because Satan is furious. He is enraged. And he is enraged because he has been defeated by Jesus. And because he is enraged, he wages war with the church. Thus he is described to us as "a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." And that means you! That means your life. He is out to get you. For as Christians, we are,

II. THE OBJECT OF SATAN'S FURY. We,

A. The church of Jesus Christ. As I have mentioned. He persecutes the woman, the church, from verse 13. And then having lost in battle to Jesus, he went after "the rest of her children," according to verse 17. That's all of us. That's our church. "Satan, having failed to defeat the Christ, continues his attack upon the Church. He directs his fury against the Church because the Church has brought forth the Christ." (Hendriksen)

So don't be discouraged if your are persecuted or afflicted. Don't take it a sign of God's displeasure, but rather as a badge of your identity within the church of Jesus Christ. And so join the testimony of Peter and the apostles, who when were imprisoned and beaten because of the name of Christ,

Acts 5:41 "...they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name."

Look for a moment more carefully at verse 17, and notice how John describes the church. The offspring of the woman are described as those "who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." So there is a reference to our faithfulness within the covenant relationship which God has established. It is not just anyone whom Satan attacks, it is those "who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." One commentator adds, "The closer we follow Jesus, the more likely we are to become Satan's target."

And so it is that Satan doesn't just attack the church as a whole, but people themselves.

B. The covenant people of God. People "defined in terms of their ethical conformity to the law of God." (Chilton) And that is consistent throughout Scripture.

1 John 5:3 "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome."

1 John 2:3 "Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."

Likewise Jesus' own words, John 14:23 "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 "He who does not love Me does not keep My words."

John 15:8 "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. 9 "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love."

So what is he saying? Simply that if you are a Christian, there will be a corresponding commitment to obedience. And if you obey, Satan will then attack you!

How's that for motivation? The more you obey, the more Satan will be after you. But that's OK, isn't it? Not only OK, but good. Because if Satan is after you, it means God is pleased with you, for it is God whom Satan is really angry at. He's waging war against God's people because he is furious at God!

And here is the encouragement. What is so prominent in this text is,

III. GOD'S PROVISION FOR THE CHURCH. God's provision. For just as soon as we read that the dragon "persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child," we read,

v.14 "But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent."

First of all, she was given two wings of a great eagle. What does that mean? Turn with me to,

Ex. 19:1 "In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, they came to the Wilderness of Sinai. 2 For they had departed from Rephidim, had come to the Wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness. So Israel camped there before the mountain. 3 And Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: 4 'You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself. 5 'Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. 6 'And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel."

That's a reference to,

A. Deliverance and redemption. God redeemed his people Israel. He delivered them out of Egypt. He saved them. He made them his people, a holy nation, his own special treasure. And how did he deliver them out of Egypt? "I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself."

That's the reference John has here in verse 14. The reference to eagles gets even more personal in,

Deut. 32:9 "For the LORD'S portion is His people; Jacob is the place of His inheritance. 10 "He found him in a desert land And in the wasteland, a howling wilderness; He encircled him, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye. 11 As an eagle stirs up its nest, Hovers over its young, Spreading out its wings, taking them up, Carrying them on its wings, 12 So the LORD alone led him, And there was no foreign god with him. 13 "He made him ride in the heights of the earth, That he might eat the produce of the fields; He made him draw honey from the rock, And oil from the flinty rock."

That's what God does for his church, beset by the persecutions of Satan. It is what he did for the Israelites at the Red Sea. He lifts them up as upon the wings of eagles! And that ought to remind you of the great promise of,

Is. 40:27 "Why do you say, O Jacob, And speak, O Israel: "My way is hidden from the LORD, And my just claim is passed over by my God"? 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, 31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint."

And so, rather than bemoan the difficulties of the persecution we are called upon to bear, we sing with Psalmist,

Ps. 103:1 "Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: 3 Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, 4 Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, 5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."

And so "the Woman's flight into the wilderness is not evidence of her abandonment by God; it is not a sign that she has lost the battle, or that events are out of control. Rather, she flies on eagle's wings above the waters to her place, so that she might be nourished during the period of tribulation."

She is delivered and redeemed. And she is given,

B. Nourishment and strength. v.14 "But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent."

Nourished. What a tender word. What a precious word.

We read in, Ps. 23:4 "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over."

That's what is happening here in Revelation 12, a table is prepared by God for the nourishment of his people. Satan's plans are foiled again!

We've already looked at Satan's response. It just makes him furious. v.15

But again, God simply lifts a finger, so to speak, and we read, v.16

Protection. That's what God gives us. Satan spews out water to drown us, and God opens up the earth to swallow up the flood. What a marvelous picture of the interplay between Satan and God. And what encouragement to us, with such,

C. Protection in the face of danger. How does that translate into our own experiences? Consider,

James 4:7 "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."

Or, 1 Peter 5:8 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 11 To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen."

We forget how that passage ends sometimes. "Your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion." But wait a minute. That's not the end of the story. "After you have suffered a while," "the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus," will "perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you."

As I preached last week, the lamb wins! And not only does that mean that Satan will remain a roaring lion looking for those to devour, but it means that you, in Christ, will be protected and strengthened. So resist the devil, that fiery red dragon, and he will flee from you. He has to, not because you are so strong, but because God is.

He is so furious, and beloved, I am mocking him as I preach today. Jesus has mocked him, humiliated him. Condemned him. And though he continues to makes war against us as God's covenant people, he cannot and he will not succeed. He has the fury of a conquered foe trying to cause as much trouble as he can as he faces his doom.

But you, and me? Why this is our encouragement,

Eph. 6:10 "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil...13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."

And the blessing and benediction of God given to his church is simple.

Rom. 16:20 "And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen."

So let's get it right. Let's understand Satan correctly. Beware of him, to be sure.

1 Peter 5:8 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 11 To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen."

And that's where we end. To Jesus Christ be the glory and dominion. Forever and ever.

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